Paphos info-file

Social Security

Maternity insurance: Beneficiaries and conditions for entitlement 

Maternity allowance is payable to insured employed and self-employed women and women who are voluntary contributors working abroad for Cypriot employers and expecting a baby, and also to women who adopt a child under 12 years of age or whose husbands adopt such a child.

Requirements:

  • the insured woman must be on maternity leave and not receiving all her salary or wage from her employer
  • at least 26 weeks must have passed between the day on which the woman became insured and the week in which her maternity leave began, and in that period she must have paid earnings-related contributions totalling not less than 26 times the weekly basic insurable earnings amount
  • insurable earnings totalling not less than 20 times the weekly basic insurable earnings amount must have been paid or credited in the previous contributions year

The insured woman is entitled to maternity allowance for 16 weeks, commencing from any week between the sixth and second week before the week in which she expects to give birth. If the birth occurs after the week in which it was expected, the period of 16 weeks is increased accordingly.

If the application is submitted after the birth, the period of 16 weeks is fixed on the basis of the date of the birth rather than on the basis of the expected date of the birth.

In the case of adoption, the insured woman is entitled to maternity allowance for 14 weeks commencing from the week of the adoption.

The amount of the maternity allowance is determined on the basis of the weekly average of the insured woman's paid and credited insurable earnings in the previous contributions year. Maternity allowance is comprised of a basic allowance and a supplementary allowance. The weekly amount of the basic allowance is equal to 75 per cent of the weekly average of the beneficiary's basic insurable earnings in the previous contributions year. Where the beneficiary is the main breadwinner, the weekly amount of the basic allowance is increased to 80 per cent for one dependant, to 90 per cent for two dependants and to 100 per cent for three dependants.

The weekly amount of the supplementary benefit is equal to 75 per cent of the average weekly insurable earnings of the beneficiary in excess of the basic insurable earnings.

Where the insured woman receives part of her remuneration from her employer for the period for which she is entitled to the maternity allowance, the allowance is reduced so that the total amount of the remuneration and allowance do not exceed her standard remuneration.

In order to be paid maternity allowance, the insured woman must submit an application on a special form which can be obtained from any social insurance office and from the website of the Social Insurance Services. After being completed appropriately by the woman and her doctor and employer, the application is delivered to the nearest social insurance office.

The application must be submitted within 21 days of the date of commencement of the maternity leave. Where the application is submitted late, the allowance is paid retrospectively only for 21 days. However, in exceptional circumstances, where the claimant shows that there was a good reason for the delay in the submission of the application, the allowance may be paid if the claimant submits an application within 12 months of the date from which she requests payment of the allowance.

A claimant who is not satisfied with the decision of the Department of Social Insurance concerning her application can challenge the decision by addressing an appeal to the Minister for Labour and Social Insurance within 15 days of receiving notification of the decision.
 

Further Information

  • Social Insurance Services
    At    : 7 Byron Avenue, 1465 Nicosia
    Tel: 22 401772/685
  • International Affairs and EU Branch, for coordination of social insurance systems between EU Member States
     Text last edited on: 11/2005

Invalidity insurance: Beneficiaries and conditions for entitlement 

The invalidity pension is payable to insured employed and self-employed persons and voluntary contributors working abroad for Cypriot employers who are under 63 years of age.

Requirements:

  • the insured person must have been incapable of work for at least 156 days, and it must be expected that he will be permanently incapable of work, unable, that is to say, to earn from work which he could reasonably be expected to carry out more than 1/3 of the amount that a healthy worker in the same occupational category and with the same education in the same region normally earns, or, if he is from 60 to 63 years of age, more than 1/2 of the amount normally earned
  • three years must have passed from the day on which the person became insured and the day on which he was deemed permanently incapable of work, and in that period, he must have paid contributions in the lower insurable earnings division totalling not less than 156 times the weekly basic insurable earnings amount
  • the insured person must have earned or been credited with average weekly insurable earnings in the lower insurable earnings division equal to not less than 1/4 of the average weekly insurable earnings amount from 5 October 1964, or from 7 January 1957 if that is more advantageous to him or her, or from the time at which he reached the age of 16, up to the final week before the onset of the invalidity
  • insurable earnings equal to at least 20 times the weekly basic insurable earnings amount must have been paid or credited in the previous year, or an average of such earnings in the previous two years must have been paid or credited

The invalidity pension is comprised of a basis pension and a supplementary pension. The weekly amount of the basic pension is calculated from the average weekly insurable earnings paid or credited in the lower insurable earnings division. The basic pension for 100 per cent invalidity is equal to 60 per cent of the average weekly earnings referred to above for a beneficiary without dependants, 80 per cent for a beneficiary with one dependant, 90% for a beneficiary with two dependants and 100 per cent for a beneficiary with three or more dependants.

It is pointed out that the above percentages apply only when the beneficiary is a man, or a woman whose spouse is incapable of maintaining himself or a widow or a woman who is separated or divorced or unmarried. Where the beneficiary is a woman whose husband in not incapable of maintaining himself, the basic pension for 100 per cent invalidity is 60 per cent of average weekly earnings for a beneficiary without dependants, 70 per cent for a beneficiary with one dependant and 80 per cent for a beneficiary with two or more dependants.

The weekly amount of the supplementary pension for 100 per cent invalidity is equal to 1/52 of 1.5 per cent of the total insurable earnings of the beneficiary paid or credited in the higher insurable earnings division. The total pension (basic and supplementary) may not be less than 85 per cent of the basic pension that would be paid to a beneficiary with full insurance under the basic part of the scheme.

Percentage of invalidity:

  • where the invalidity is between 50 per cent and 66.66 per cent and the insured person is from 60 to 63 years of age, the pension paid equals 60 per cent of the pension that would be paid to the person if he had an employment incapacity of 100 per cent
  • where the invalidity is between 66.66 per cent and 75 per cent, the pension paid equals 75 per cent of the pension that would be paid to the insured person if he had an employment incapacity of 100 per cent
  • where the invalidity is greater than 75 per cent but less than 100 per cent, the pension paid equals 85 per cent of the pension that would be paid to the insured person if he had an employment incapacity of 100 per cent

A 13th pension, equal to 1/12 of the pension paid for the whole year, is paid in December every year. The pensions are adjusted every year on the basis of the increase in the general level of wages and salaries and inflation.

In order to be paid an invalidity pension, the insured person must submit an application on a special form which can be obtained from any social insurance office and from the website of the Social Insurance Services. The application must be accompanied by all the necessary certificates stated in the application form and be delivered to the nearest social insurance office. The application must be submitted within three months of the day on which the insured person became permanently incapable of work. Where an application is submitted late, the pension is paid retrospectively only for three months. However, in exceptional circumstances, where the claimant shows that there was a good reason for the delay in the submission of the application, the pension may be paid retrospectively for a period of up to 12 months.

The claimant may lose the right to receive the invalidity pension for up to six weeks if he refuses:

  • to attend for a medical examination
  • to submit to treatment
  • to participate in a vocational training programme

The basic insurable earnings amount differs from year to year. The weekly amount in 2006 is £77.90.

Further Information

  • Social Insurance Services
    At    : 7 Byron Avenue, 1465 Nicosia
    Tel: 22 401772/685
  • International Affairs and EU Branch, for coordination of social insurance systems between EU Member States
     Text last edited on: 06/2006

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